Jerry Hewitt one of Hollywood finest and legendary stunt coordinator, has died at the age of 71. His family had confirmed that the man known for his work in “The Big Lebowski” and the Academy Award-winning “No Country for Old Men,” and many more, passed away on Saturday.
Jerry Hewitt was born in Brooklyn, N.Y. on March 6, 1949 and lived in Queens until moving to Warwick 40 years ago. He attended the State University of New York at Farmingdale and graduated with a degree in food science, sparking his commitment to being ecologically conscious and eventually leading him to build his own home in Warwick.
The late Jery Hewitt over the past 30 years, worked on more than 300 episodes of Dick Wolf programming, including “Law & Order,” “New York Undercover” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Known as one of New York’s most prominent stunt coordinators and performers, he was working on the 22nd season of “Law & Order: SVU” prior to his death earlier this month.
Jerry Hewitt worked on 14 of the Coen Brothers’ films, with his efforts bringing iconic moments to life, such as teaching actor Tex Cobb how to ride a motorcycle in 1987’s “Raising Arizona” to sending his wife and collaborator for the past 25 years, Jennifer Lamb, hurtling into a snake pit in the 2010 remake of “True Grit.” His stunt credits also include “Independence Day,” “The Bourne Ultimatum,” “School of Rock,” “Coyote Ugly,” “Good Will Hunting,” and hundreds of others.
The family statement reads: “He knew how to make things happen in a seamless and magical way. His laser-focused attention to detail ensured the safety of those he was working with and allowed the precision of the moment to be captured on film with clarity and the true beauty of the story he was helping to tell.”
He is survived by his wife, Jennifer, and their children, Harry, Kevin, Sam and Molly. He is also survived by his brother, Don Hewitt and his wife, Mary.